Current undergraduate/college*, graduate, and professional students, as well as those with completed degrees, may apply for membership. Foreign students who are attending schools within the U. S. are also eligible. Both full-time and part-time students may apply. The Society strictly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, handicap, age, sexual orientation or social status. There is no fee to submit an application for membership.
*Dual enrolled high school seniors/college freshman are not eligible. Secondary education must be complete.
Academic Achievement
The National Scholars Honor Society recognizes scholastic excellence in all fields of study. While academic achievement serves as the cornerstone for any National Honor Society, grading and testing procedures and standards differ widely across America's educational institutions. Cognizant of this, The National Scholars Honor Society Membership Committee strives to view each applicant in the context of the student's life, background, chosen field, and educational institution.
While GPAs are the single heaviest weighted factor in the acceptance procedure of the Membership Committee, we acknowledge that GPA alone will not adequately represent the totality of a student’s merits. To better illustrate this point, please examine the student profiles presented in Figure 1.
| **For the sole purpose of addressing one of the most frequently asked questions: a typical member is a college junior, enrolled in a 4 year degree program, with a 3.6/4.0, and several extracurricular activities and personal accomplishments. Thousands of members maintain a 4.0/4.0. But please take note: membership candidates with GPAs above 3.6 are not guaranteed admission. Likewise, worthy candidates with GPAs below 3.6 are not automatically excluded. |
Figure 1. Example student profiles demonstrating the inherent flaws in GPA only acceptance regimens.
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Student Allen K.
|
Student Diane C. |
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Automatically excluded from most honor societies |
Automatically accepted to most honor societies |
|
Same university |
Same university |
|
Same major |
Same major |
|
College junior/full-time student |
College junior/full-time student |
|
|
|
Will be considered by NSHS committee - No automatic denial |
Will be considered by NSHS committee - No automatic acceptance |
|
Student Maria L.
|
Student Forrest N. |
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Automatically excluded from most honor societies |
Automatically accepted to most honor societies |
|
Highly ranked university |
Mid-level university |
|
Very difficult major |
Moderate major |
|
College junior/full-time student |
College junior/full-time student |
|
|
|
Will be considered by NSHS committee - No automatic denial |
Will be considered by NSHS committee- No automatic acceptance |
Honor and Integrity form the cornerstone on which our nation's founders created this great country. The National Scholars Honor Society endeavors to cultivate and re-ignite theses virtues everyday by instilling trust and responsibility in all of the society's members, as well as, in the applicants. The National Scholars Honor Code creates an atmosphere of respect which all college students and university scholars deserve, and should expect from any Honor Society. The Honor Code is an open invitation for applicants to demonstrate their honesty, integrity, and self-determination.